With weeks to go before the U.S. elections, all eyes are on America. Even here in the Holy Land, we can feel the tension rising, as Americans cast their votes in one of the most important — and divisive — elections in our lifetime.
Growing up in America, as a woman and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I remember repeatedly hearing the message about the importance of voting. My parents reinforced that message, explaining that the right to vote was both a privilege not to be taken for granted and a patriotic duty that we were obligated to fulfill. “Freedom isn’t free,” they would tell me, “nor is it a given.” I couldn’t wait to be eighteen so that I could play my small role in the unfolding of American history.
However, as the years have passed, elections have become more intense and contentious, and this year the political climate in the U.S. is particularly charged. Outrage is the currency of the day. Social media leads us to immediately share our opinions without much thought about the impact of our words, and algorithms expose us to like-minded positions. In a time when millions of pieces of diverse and thoughtful content are being created and distributed, we have never been as closed minded, judgmental, and critical of “the other” as today.
Read more at It’s Time to Vote; But It’s Also Time to Pray
